Metroid: After Zero
by Ninmai700
Summary: A glimpse into the life of Samus Aran between the games, from her perspective. Takes place right after Zero Mission.
1. Reflection

**I: Reflection**

I remember Earth. Home to the Galactic Federation Headquarters, this is the first planet I visited that I couldn't call home. I remember the strange jumble of emotions that spurred in me the day I left Zebes. Excitement, anxiety, dread, concern, and yes, even a smidgen of fear. After several years in the desolate planet, I learned to live in peaceful solitude. That is, if you didn't count the animals. The Chozos were there to take care of me, but they were never there to keep me company. They helped me survive the harsh conditions of the planet and gave me the power to protect the galaxy, but they never sang me lullabies. They never told jokes or played games.

Once I left the planet, however, I realized I learned to live without these things. I was a weapon, and I was ready to do my job. I was excited to see someplace new after almost a decade of the same barren landscapes. I was anxious about my first time in real combat. Still, I dreaded the thought of being under someone's command. I was finally free of the Chozos, and I wanted to do what _I_ wanted for a change. I chased this feeling I had never felt before. It's probably the reason I became a Bounty Hunter. I can be the protector of the galaxy the Chozos desired while still acting of my own accord. Besides, the Galactic Federation doesn't always make the best decisions…

I was also concerned that I wasn't going to be able to help in the way that I wanted to. I overheard several of Old Bird's conversations with the Federation and I got the impression that they weren't very competent. I later turned out to be mostly right. Finally, there was, as there had always been, a small bit of fear buried deep inside. I was still half-human, after all. My training eliminated most of the fear, but nothing could erase my memories of K-2L. I was no longer afraid of fighting or risking my life against Space Pirates and other alien threats, but I was still scared of one thing. The monster that haunted my dreams and splattered me with the blood of my parents.

I smile at the warm sun, which is the same color as my outfit. I'm no longer afraid. I beat him. I saw him writhe in agony and fall to the pits below. There's nothing else in the universe that can stop me now.

I look around at the shops, all selling items I've never even heard of before. I've never been to this district before. Whenever I was on Earth, it was always at the Federation HQ. Now that I'm freelance and my mission is over, I get to discover this new world of entertainment and civil life. I chuckle, realizing the other reason I became a Bounty Hunter: exploration.

It was always forbidden at Zebes in my youth, but it was my favorite thing to do. I felt a strange combination of happiness and caution when I first stepped foot in the caves of Zebes as an adult. I had to look out because I was on a mission, but at the same time I felt incredibly happy to explore the vast underground that was previously unknown to me.

Even now every new corner is another delight.

I suddenly realize that coming here in my orange shorts and top wasn't such a good idea. Virtually everyone stares when I pass by, and those who don't only struggle to pretend they didn't look. There's a lot of other women dressed more provocatively, but I think my size is what makes me stand out among the rest. I'm so much taller than most people that no one's head reaches above my shoulder. Then there's my physique. Several men shoot glances at me that either mean they're interested in getting under my pants, or they're envious of my muscles.

I don't actually mind men staring at me like that. I never had any romantic or sexual interactions with any boys on Zebes so I have zero experience or standards in that regard. In fact, I nearly forgot males existed back then. I was taken from the colony as a toddler and never saw another human until I was a teenager. I guess...perverted looks are better than nothing at all. Besides, there are _some_ guys I find cute. Mainly those intimidated by my muscles.

It's all worthless though. I know I'll never be able to be like that with somebody. I'm a lone Bounty Hunter. Protector of the Galaxy, chosen by the Chozos. I don't have the luxury for romance. I'm also pretty I sure I lack the capacity for it. I do my best to hide it, but I'm not very socially skilled. Again, years of only animals and bird aliens to talk to makes it natural. It's the reason I'm so silent most of the time. I like to stay in my comfort zone, which is my head. Sometimes I think it's the only thing I've kept from back then.

Finally, I arrive at something that peaks my interest. A large building with an equally large sign over its doors that reads:

 _ **SOKORRO ENTERTAINMENT**_

I swing open the doors to find an immense room that reminds me of a cavern in its dark atmosphere and uneven roof. Or maybe it's more like a dank cellar, with its chilly air and damp smell. Repelling the dark are several rows of machines that seem to be built for amusement. Arcade cabinets flash and flicker on the faces of all the players around the room. They're mostly human, but I can spot a few different races here and there.

I walk around them, careful where I step because the small, dim lights along the floor don't actually provide enough light. Most of the games are based on real life threats like the Space Pirates and Kriken. Curiously, some of them have you playing as a Bounty Hunter while others have you defeating them. In most cases, however, your character is a Federation soldier or commander. _Blast Ball_ seems to be one of the more popular ones.

I get considerably less stares because everyone else's focus is already taken, but they're still there. I even accidentally made a young girl yelp when I turned a corner. The dark obscures my face but accents my tall and fit figure, understandably making me look somewhat scary at first glance. Out of the corner of my eye, however, one game stands out to me the most:

 **METROID PINBALL**

I furrow my brow and approach it. The top part displays a Federation commander shouting orders to his soldiers while staring down a group of Metroids. The cabinet itself has Metroids as targets and Super Bombs as pinballs. If the Metroids are not hit within a certain time they advance to the Federation soldiers and the civilians behind them. I don't want to know what happens if they're reached.

How could somebody do this? Metroids are probably the most dangerous and vicious creatures in the galaxy, and they're made targets in a game? It wasn't long ago that I had to face them myself: groups of life-sucking Metroids only vulnerable to extremely low temperatures. I was attacked by them, I felt the energy drain away from me as I struggled to remove it from my head. These are used as _bioweapons_ by the Space Pirates. The idea that anyone could relegate their role to easy target in a pinball machine is ludicrous.

"E-excuse me."

I turn to look down at a teenager, nervously and awkwardly looking away from me.

"I...a-are you going to p-play or not?"

I give a light smile and shake my head, already moving on to another place.

Entertainment isn't something that catches my eye. I find it fun for regular folk to do in their free time, but it's of little use to me. If I wanted to feel like I'm battling Space Pirates I could just go do that in real life and actually make a difference. It's understandable for those that can't fight though.

I leave the arcades to look for a bar. Nowadays Earth law is pretty lax on the subject of minimum drinking age. Politicians are more focused on the seemingly neverending war and people living in suburban areas care more about finding food to eat than wondering how old you'd have to be to drink alcohol. The minimum drinking age here is 17, but you're allowed to drink at ages 15 and 16 if you're in your home and under adult (18+) supervision.

Obviously I had neither of these, so my first drink was with the squad when I turned 17. At first I didn't find the point, but I later found myself spending my weekends at bars, specially after a mission. After several bottles I could finally relax, forget about the universe and everything wrong with it, try to find a way to have fun without losing my dignity. I didn't like socializing even when drunk, however, so I didn't normally bring my friends from the squad and I avoided talking to strangers at all times.

Now that I'm...20 (I think?), and I just finished my "Zero Mission", a large bottle of Valyssian beer sounds incredibly enticing.

I look around while I walk and eventually find a small place with a sign so worn down I can't even read it correctly. There's the letters C, A, E, T and the AR in "BAR", but everything in between is illegible.

"Welcome."

A raspy old voice croaks behind the counter. It belongs to a cloaked figure whose only visible body parts are their dark green claws, clutching two cups and a cylindrical container.

"You're the first one today, young woman. How can I help you?"

Even though their face is covered I know they're smiling as they set the items down on the counter and rub their hands together. I sit on a stool and lean on the counter

"Bottle of Valyssian."

The figure nods, disappears in the back for a few seconds, then comes back with a large blue bottle and a clenched hand. They set the beer down and hand me what was in their hand: two cups about the size of my thumb, presumably to drink in small doses. I chuckle and open the bottle with a single twist. Then, looking around to notice I'm the only customer here, I chug straight from the bottle with one hand.

"Excuse me?"

I recognize it as the voice of a young girl, probably in her early teens, and choose not to look at her while continuing to chug from the bottle. After two more gulps, I set it down on the wooden counter and turn to the visitor with a look of boredom mixed with annoyance. I'm not a friendly creature.

The young girl has short black hair and dirty blue attire that looks like it's been handed down several generations. Torn jeans, running shoes that look like they'll fall of any minute, pink T-shirt and a dirty blue jacket over it. She's holding a pink bow on her left hand and clutching a piece of paper on her right. Her overall look as she pants worriedly at the doorway makes me think she's been looking for someone. Presumably, the bow was removed in order to run comfortably and the paper is something needed to identify whoever she's looking for.

"Are-are you...Samus Aran?"

Her eyes are wide in amazement as she utters my name. I'll never get tired of that. I smile and nod.

"I'm-I'm Sandra. I...I need help."

I look at her, then at the empty room, then back at her. Normally I'd leave smaller jobs like these to someone else, but I'm the only one here. I can't outright reject her plea for help. I sigh, close the bottle and approach the little girl.

"What is it?"

Simple. To the point. I hate needlessly complicating things and I hate socializing. They go hand in hand sometimes.

"M-my brother. Cole. He's been working for those guys in the abandoned warehouse over at 49th for a few months now. To pay for food for both of us."

Orphan siblings. Even I get sad at the thought of it.

"But...the thing is, he stopped coming back three days ago. He left me a little money, but it's all gone now and I'm not very good at stealing. I love him very much and I miss him a lot! Please find him and bring him back!"

My cold stare turns to a look sadness and empathy as I crouch to reach her eye-level.

"Alright. I'll find your brother and bring him back. He's at the warehouse at the end of 49th, right?"

"Well, that's where he goes to work for them, but all the workers get in a ship and fly away to work somewhere far. I've seen the workers get in the ships and I've seen them leave the warehouse. Normally they're supposed to come back really late during the night, but last time no ships came back at all."

I nod and step into the sunlight, changing into my Power Suit in less than a second. I barely take a single step before the girl calls out to me again.

"Wait!"

She shakes her head.

"You can't use the suit! Cole will be killed if they find out a bounty hunter was hired to find him. They probably won't recognize you in that...bikini?"

I chuckle and go back to my orange combination before continuing my march. This means I'll have to fight without my suit again...I guess it's the perfect time to see if the weapon orders I made are done yet.

* * *

AN: There's more to come, so stay tuned!


	2. Zero Suit Samus Returns

**II: Zero Suit Samus Returns**

Instead of moving onto the next street, I take a right and keep going down until I find the weapons store I went to when I first came back from Zebes.

"Samus Aran! How wonderful it is to have such a legend in our midst once again!"

The burly man that owns the shop crosses his arms with the same beaming smile he had when I first found him. This particular sector is richer than the one I was before, which is evident in this very clean and advanced weapons shop. All the latest weaponry is at the customer's fingertips, but so is the latest security technology. Nobody steals from this place, everyone gets what they ordered.

In my case, I wanted to get better suit-less weapons in the case I ever found myself in an emergency situation again. I did _not_ like being powerless on that pirate ship. I ordered a Paralyzer with better charge and stun length with an added retractable Plasma Whip hidden within. Enemies are paralyzed much longer than before at full charge and I can use the whip to attack or disarm them as well as serving as another Grappling Beam. I also wanted more maneuverability, so I looked around until I found some Jet Boots that were small and light enough to conceal under my Power Suit. Unfortunately they happened to be heels, but it's not like it'll bother me much. The heels are retractable so they can fit in my Power Suit and I can run comfortably. In the case I need to jump, the Jet Boots do the jump for me and add to that the ability to glide in the air. I'd also imagine getting kicked in the face by flaming Jet Boots isn't very pleasant, so that's a plus.

"Your Paralyzer was done a few hours ago, but I just now finished the Jet Boots."

He places both items on the desk. The gun makes a satisfying _clunk_ when it touches steel, but the Jet Boots make almost no sound at all.

"I trust they are...to your liking?"

I nod, fiddling with the Paralyzer's buttons until the whip emerges. Even when immobile, it makes a low humming sound and gives everything near it a warm orange light.

"Best not to keep it out in the open too long, eh?"

I nod without looking at him and retract it. Plasma Whips aren't very stable, so it's not safe to leave them motionless in the air. The inside of the Paralyzer stores the plasma in the same core that's used to stun enemies. When opened, the Paralyzer transfers the energy to four small vents that concentrate it into a whip. So much concentrated plasma is extremely dangerous by nature, so there's a risk of overloading the vents and causing the entire gun to explode in a large blast of plasma.

I safely put the Paralyzer in its holster and open the latches on my Jet Boots. They're surprisingly easy to put on, as all I need to do is put my foot through the opening and close the latch so it grasps my ankles. Another surprise is how light they are. When I try a fast kick forward, I don't feel a difference in speed and instead get the added bonus of having a quick burst of energy come out the bottom. Yes, this is my type of weapon.

"It can also be used to glide. Just give another push when you're in the air, as if you're jumping."

I nod, retract the heels and head out the front door. I made my payment when I made the order and he's no friend of mine, so there's no need for unnecessary babble.

"Hope to see you again!"

His voice gets quieter the farther I get from him. Now, if I recall correctly, the warehouse is on the corner of 49th…

It doesn't take me long to get there, seeing as it's only a few blocks away from the bar. Convenient I guess, for the brother.

The warehouse looks almost a century old, with a mix of old blue paint, brown rust and a dozen graffiti. Everything in this area has been abandoned for a few decades now. It was a mid-range residential sector until a Super Bomb exploded right in the middle of it, killing most of its inhabitants and injuring the rest. This was around the time that war started to take precedence over other subjects, so it was decided that instead of rebuilding the sector, they would use the money to fund the Galactic Federation's intergalactic operations. The survivors were forced to move to poorer areas and the 49th Sector became a sort ghost town. The first few years the place was home to many scavengers, so its resources were quickly depleted. After that, there was no reason to come here other than to escape others. There's no electricity here, meaning no lights during the night. Kreatz once told me he'd been dared to go there at midnight as a child. "Halloween", he called it. I wonder if I would've ventured here had I grown up on Earth…

The windows are too dirty to see through. Guess it's time for action.

I hold the Paralyzer with both hands and kick open the front doors with a loud _**CRASH**_ , assessing the situation as fast as I can and beginning to charge my shot. There's five men inside, four armed with assault rifles and one with his handgun in its holster. They're all in front of a table with a bunch of different papers and devices. Looks like they were planning something.

"Stop right there or die!"

The one farthest to the left yells with his gun already up and aimed at my forehead. The unarmed one in the middle turns around and releases a cloud of vapor from his mouth, his electronic cigarette close by. He smiles and takes a few slow steps forward, taking his time.

"Now what _in the world_ do you think you're doing?"

He chuckles, like the question was a joke.

"I'm looking for someone. I'm sure you know where he is."

He shakes his head, taking another deliberately slow sip from his e-cig.

"And I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about. Now how about you walk right outta here before my friend here renovates the walls with your brai-"

 _FZEEOM!_

Before anyone can react, I fire a fully-charged shot from my Paralyzer into the chest of the man who had his gun aimed at me. I then extend my Plasma Whip and make it wrap around the next enemy's weapon before pulling hard on it. The rifle flies across the room and crashes so hard against the back wall I'm pretty sure it's damaged beyond repair.

While the man in the middle struggles to get his gun out of its holster, the other two start shooting at me. Aided by my new Jet Boots, I jump high in the air and over the blasts. I then slam my foot down on the nearest enemy's head. He goes straight down and breaks his nose upon impact with the ground, incapacitated and probably knocked out cold. Next, I land and kick the last one in the face with the Jet Boots, burning him. Unfortunately, the previously-stunned man with the assault rifle is now able to move again and the man in the middle managed to get his gun out and point it at me.

With no hesitation, they start another stream of blasts aimed directly at me. I avoid them, jump between the two men and do a handstand to scissor-kick, hitting them both at the same time. I can't waste a single second. I follow it up by punching the man with the handgun hard in the stomach. He immediately bends over and clutches his belly, vomiting blood onto the floor. Only one left. I want to try something.

The last one's about to fire again when I knock the gun out of his hands with a single swing. Here goes…

I start by kicking him upwards with my left foot, right under the chin. I then lift us both up by igniting the power in my right Jet Boot. As we're rising, the energy bursting from my left Jet Boot adds more damage. Finally, we stop rising and I turn around quickly to deliver a final kick blazing kick with my right. He's propulsed forward with so much speed he breaks through one of the windows and lands on the ground outside.

Satisfied, I come down with relative ease and land next to the only man still standing. I then grab him by the collar and throw his gun to the other side of the warehouse. He groggily looks up at me, still hurting from the blow to his stomach.

"I don't like wasting time, so I'll make a clear question and get a clear answer: where are your workers?"

His cocky smile became a fearful whimper.

"T-the m-moon of Naishii! We normally just do manual work, but we never expected to get hired by the Space Pirates…"

Of course. Wherever there's trouble, _there_ _has to be_ Space Pirates.

"We flew them there, but we never got our payment or our workers back!"

He seems genuinely distressed. Then again, I did punch him in the gut.

I let him go and holster my Paralyzer.

"Your number."

I mutter in my usual monotone voice.

"W-what?"

"The number on that phone. I'll send a signal when the Pirates are dealt with. You can come by to pick up your workers."

"Uh...right…"

He writes his number nervously and confusedly. I take it and start walking away, but he doesn't seem too sure about it.

"You think you can take down those Pirates by yourself!?"

He yells, incredulous.

However, my back is already turned to him and I'm walking out the door. Outside, I temporarily put on my Power Suit to call my gunship. In a matter of seconds, the familiar yellow ship descends from the clouds and lands in front of me. I jump on its roof and it opens up, bringing me to the inside. I absentmindedly put the ship on auto-pilot towards the Neogatta nebula and put down both my Paralyzer and my Jet Boots.

I'm going to be using my armor against the Pirates, so I'll have to wear something more comfortable underneath. By now I've come to know the Zero Suit as the best option. The Power Suit was made to fit my bare body and the Zero Suit is so thin it barely feels like I'm wearing anything. It's the most comfortable attire under my armor, which is the most important factor when it comes to battle. I guess others would worry about it being too revealing, but I really don't care at all about it. Like I said, sex is of very little importance to me and so are the thoughts of perverted men.

In any case, my objective is clear: eliminate all Space Pirates on the moon of Naishii, liberate the workers and find the little girl's brother. After bringing him back, I can go on with the rest of my day.

* * *

 _Next mission: Fully-powered armored Samus vs Space Pirates!_


	3. Samus Aran, Galactic Warrior

Sorry this one took so long to finish, but I had a great combination of vacation trip+writer's block! This is also the last one, so please enjoy!

* * *

 **III: Samus Aran, Galactic Warrior**

The ship approaches the moon of Naishii quickly and with no trouble at all. There's no carrier ships orbiting it, meaning the Space Pirates only have small ships on the surface and there won't be any spatial dogfight. A good thing, since I hate having to repair the hull whenever it gets hit by blaster fire. My ship is fast and very powerful, but not nearly as slim and agile as other bounty hunter ships. Its size allows the transport of various missiles with different speed, power and tracking abilities, and also allows me to load it with an engine capable of taking most aircraft to lightspeed. It's much like a Ripper, powerful and fast but mostly focused on one direction.

I slowly descend into the moon's atmosphere, not wanting to attract too much attention. Now, the papers that were sprawled onto the desk in the warehouse mentioned a mountain range on the southwestern area…

Thankfully, the moon isn't as big as other planets, allowing me to quickly find the Space Pirate hideout: nested in-between three rocky ridges on a cliff. There's about 100 pirates crawling down there. The creatures take turns watching the workers, who enter and left a dark cave holding precious metals in their arms. They had faces full of fear and plain, while most of the pirates laid back against the rocks and watched contently.

A mining operation. Typical.

I land the ship on the northernmost cliff and turn on my Power Suit before leaving from the top. With the Varia and Gravity upgrades I got on Zebes, there's no way these creatures can beat me. I activate all of them and start charging my cannon before stepping on the edge of the cliff.

Time to go.

In a feat of calculation and strength, I leap high above them and start by releasing my charged shot on the pirates closest to the ships. The vehicles are fairly large and few in number, meaning I can destroy them with missiles before anyone can reach them. The pirates are slow to react, but they do so very intensely. They start jumping between the rocks and screeching in a pitch so high and revolting that the humans instinctively get on the ground.

I power through some of their blaster fire and finally land, lifting dust off the ground. They aren't blinded, however, as they continue to send as many shots my way as they can. I answer by freezing them with my Ice Beam methodically and rapidly, making my way through the hordes with little trouble. Once they're frozen, I can either use them as cover or simply blow them to pieces. However, I don't want to accidentally harm any of the humans, so I use my cannon sparingly and the use of missiles is out of the question.

Instead, I resort to physical combat. I catch one of them by the leg mid-jump and slam it down on the ground so hard it gets disoriented and can no longer protect itself from my cannon, which I jam down its throat and fire. While I do this, its sibling takes the opportunity to jump on my back try to pierce through my armor. A mistake. Its stomach is quickly incinerated by my jetpack as I somersault forward and out of danger thanks to the Screwattack. The others try their best to overwhelm me by shooting from all angles, but evading is easy when you have superhuman agility and the Morph Ball. Unlike these animals, my aim is almost perfect after years of battles and I've also learned to change into the Morph Ball and out of it so seamlessly I can shoot almost immediately after changing. After all of this, their numbers are few.

One of the last ones tries to jump at me, but I step back and grab it by its face instead, gripping it so tightly the beak gets crushed and it goes limp. Then, quickly checking no workers are nearby, I hurl the lifeless body at another pirate and they both go flying off the cliff and into the abyss below. Finally, the last pirate (and quite possibly the smartest one) attempts to make a run for it by jumping up the rocky cliff and heading to my ship. Unfortunately, it does not get far before I catch it with my Grappling Beam and slam it back down to the ground.

I watch with a mix of sadness and anger as it struggles and shrieks under my boot. No monster like this should ever be given life.

BLAST

In another flash of light, it's over. The workers rise from the ground and cheer, picking up the pirates' weapons to break themselves free.

I scan through the crowd for the little girl's brother, but he's nowhere to be found. He must still be down in the caves, along with a few Space Pirates.

I sigh and send the coordinates to the man back on Earth before walking toward the cave entrance.

"Wait, where are you going? How're we gonna get off this stupid moon?"

One of the men asks, rubbing his wrists where his shackles used to be.

"Help is coming. Stay put."

I then descend into the dark caverns. I begin to see why they used humans to mine instead of doing it themselves, as several stalactites fall inches from my face and I have to jump over numerous seemingly bottomless pits. I can't imagine how hard this was for them.

"SHREEE-"

A pirate suddenly lunged at me from the darkness, but its cry was cut short by my cannon. It's not a good idea to surprise a bounty hunter.

After many confusing tunnels, some dead ends and lot of backtracking, I finally find my target: a young man with black hair and blue eyes, begrudgingly doing what he's told. He's holding a bucket full of precious material between two bored Space Pirates and extracting more from the wall in front of him. In the blink of an eye, the two pirates are frozen solid and the man is turned toward me.

"Your sister is worried about you."

He blinks in confusion but then smiles, glancing at his captors.

"Right."

He nods, then uses the bucket to smash the ice, breaking the pirates into several pieces.

"Let's go."

He starts to walk out the same way we came in, but I'm tired of jumping over chasms and avoiding stalactites.

Without a word, I grab him and pick him up, holding him under my arm.

"What are you-"

He's interrupted by a sudden lurch forward as I start running and picking up speed.

"Stop, stop, stop! I don't-AAAAAAAHHHHH!"

The rocks around us start blurring as my Speed Boost activates and the entire cave shakes, making more stalactites fall on top of us. However, the boost allows me to ignore the damage and leap over chasms as if they were nothing.

We finally see the light of day when we cross the cavern's exit. I drop him and as he vomits, I notice that we arrived just in time for the extraction. The workers are being carried away in Earth ships of different shapes and sizes, most probably because they were stolen from different people.

"Go." I mutter.

"It's best they don't know I came here for you."

He manages to nod again heads for the ships, his legs quivering from the nausea.

I then head for my own transport by jumping up the cliff. Exhausting, but I guess it's my own fault for putting it there and then jumping off.

As soon as I get back into the ship I remove the suit and slip back into my orange combination, putting the ship on course for Earth and then laying on my back. The Power Suit is amazing and I love how powerful it feels, but I don't think anyone wants to spend most of their time in a metal suit. After spending so much time in the Zebes underground, walking around without it felt incredibly refreshing.

Now, time to go get that drink I wanted.

* * *

"Another one of the same?"

The figure asks again, picking up the bottle from the counter. It's noisier now because it's much later in the night and it's a lot more crowded.

"Hmm."

Many bartenders have learned that for me, a grunt means yes. In turn, I have learned that I have very high tolerance to alcohol. I imagine it has something to do with my Chozo DNA, but I don't care enough to look into it. Not long afterward the creature comes back with an identical bottle of Valysse and hands it over. It's at this moment, while I'm chugging from the bottle again, that the little girl from earlier comes back with her older brother. She's wearing her bow now and instead of the photo, she's holding her brother's hand.

"Ah, shit." I mutter to myself, putting the bottle down and turning to face them.

"How can I help you."

I said it as more of a statement than a question. I do this a lot, since It's basically just a more polite version of 'What".

"W-we just wanted to thank you!"

While the girl offers me a handful of Credits, the brother stares at me absent-mindedly. I look at her and then at him. He snaps back to reality and awkwardly diverts his gaze to the people around us.

I chuckle and shake my head.

"You need that money more than I do. Go home."

The girl puts back the Credits confusedly and turns to her brother, who's now staring at me again with slightly pink cheeks.

"Y-you know, I could buy you a drink instead. I have t-to pay you back somehow…"

He smiles nervously and scratches the back of his head.

Cute.

"Cute, but I went here to spend the night alone and that's not changing. Besides, I bet there's tons of women in equally shady bars that are better than me."

He frowns and stammers, trying to come up with something good.

"B-but-"

"Cole."

I interrupt, this time using a stern tone and an unamused face.

"Go home."

He reluctantly leaves with his sister at his side.

I've had enough for one day. This trip to Earth has certainly been refreshening, but it's clear that this is not my home. Although there's tons of things to do here, I've never felt more alive than I do in combat. Although there's peace and quiet here, I know it won't last unless I'm out there. Although there's other humans here for me to socialize with, I won't connect with any of them. No matter how dangerous the galaxy can be, no matter how alluring life down here is, I know my place is not here. I belong out there, amongst the stars and surrounded by danger. My devotion lies in the countless different planets and the civilizations that live upon them. No, I am not a woman of Earth.

I am Samus Aran, Galactic Warrior.


End file.
